With the jukebox blasting classic rock in the corner and sports on flat-screen televisions overhead, one guy leaned in and whispered about battling Mexican drug cartels undercover with the DEA. He raised a beer and said he's still working undercover.

On the other side of the bar, a sharpshooter talked about a recent training mission with Brazilian federal police in the slums of Rio De Janeiro. He pulled out a digital camera and showed photos of squalor that makes the most rundown block in Reading look like Beverly Hills.

Nearby, a bomb technician told of blowing up suspicious packages and searching schools after someone scrawled threats in a bathroom stall.

Three guys with shaved heads sauntered in to be greeted by a chorus of "Hey!" with a quick wave from a group of burly men around the pool table.

If you're a cop in Berks County, there's a bar where everybody knows your name.

The Pig Pen in Temple, owned and patronized by police from across the county, is the watering hole for the men and women in blue. It's where many unwind from the stress of the job.

It may be the most secure location for miles; the bartenders don't worry about getting robbed.

Cops said they like it because they don't have to worry about looking over their shoulder or squaring up with some thug they chased down a dark alley years ago.

"It's great to have a place like this," said Paul L. Brown, a retired city policeman and recently retired constable whose son Joseph M. is the president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 71 for municipal officers in suburban and rural departments.

"What's really good about it is the cops and civilians get along real well," he said.

Hub of activity

The county police union bought the bar last year from the Temple Democratic Club. Part of the agreement was that club members would be welcomed in the police bar.

The bar is full most nights. A majority of patrons are off-duty police officers.

There are also dispatchers, constables and other emergency workers who patronize the club, said Joseph Brown, who is also a West Reading detective.

"It was bought not just for socializing, but to make a profit to support other things we do in the community," Brown explained.

The club has raised money for Toys for Tots and the American Red Cross.

Brown said the bar has hosted wakes for police officers who have died and is raising money to refurbish the county police memorial. They have raised money for a paramedic whose son was hit by a car and have financed an amateur hockey team and softball team of police officers from around the county.

"Those are outside activities that gives guys a chance to get to know each other in a positive way," Brown said.

The bar looks like any other bar, with a jukebox near the door, video games and a kitchen in the back. It smells like french fries and beer.

A fixture at the club, Pee-Wee, a diminutive bartender who didn't want to give her real name, has been working there since the FOP bought it last year. She likes the job and feels safer at closing time knowing there are so many police around.

"They're regular people like everybody else," Pee-Wee said of the law enforcement customers. "It's just their job. I treat 'em all the same, whether they're a cop or a lawyer."

Typical watering hole

Tiffany Kochel, another bartender, said she got the job because she knew a constable who recommended her.

"They're all the same," she said of the police. "They talk about regular stuff. They're just regular people."

Carol Zuchowski, a civilian member of the club who likes to perform on karaoke nights, said the club has been more crowded since police took it over last year.

"It really hasn't changed that much, but there are more people that come in," she said. "The police are friendly and they're fun. Everybody's nice here. It's not like, 'I'm a cop and you're not.' The bartenders make them wait for a drink like everybody else."

Matthew R. Beighley, a West Reading detective and SWAT team member, brought candles and a tablecloth into the club on Valentine's Day and had a romantic dinner with his wife.

"It's nice to have a social club where you don't have to look over your shoulder or worry about running into someone you arrested," Beighley said. "It's not expensive, and I like to come in early with my family when it's not crowded. The kids can run around and have fun.

"In a regular bar you have to look out for yourself. This is our place so we look out for each other and treat it like our home. Guys just come in here and enjoy each other's company."

Les Neri, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Pennsylvania State Lodge, said it is common for a county police lodge to have a social hall, although he did not know how many in the state operate such establishments.